Prayer in Motion
Q&A with Jennifer Tucker
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Today's inspiration comes from:
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Today's inspiration comes from:
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Editor’s Note: Prayer is consistently one of the spiritual gifts that is most searched on Google. We ask, How can I pray? Is there a best way to pray? A best time to pray? A best place to pray? Is there a way to connect with God holistically? Today, Jennifer Tucker is answering questions about a simple, whole-self, embodied prayer and we’re featuring her beautiful, new book Prayer in Motion. Enjoy! A few key verses to dwell on: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Romans 12:1, and Luke 10:27.
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Why did you write it? (What’s the story behind it?)
I wrote this book because it’s the message my own body and soul desperately needed—and it’s what I still need today. This is the third book in my own personal journey with prayer (including Breath as Prayer and Present in Prayer), through embodied prayer practices that have helped me discover what it really means to abide with Christ and experience the profound grace that comes with bringing my whole self before God and resting in His faithful presence.
This prayer journey started for me seven years ago when our daughter’s health declined and our family was plunged into a dark and disorienting season of suffering and pain. What began as a health crisis progressed into months and then years of daily, ongoing struggles that impacted every aspect of our lives. These past seven years have been marked by deeply challenging circumstances and unwanted heartache, years of watching our beautiful girl suffer with pain that she never chose and illnesses that nearly took her life. There were years of hospital stays and treatment centers, of faded dreams and changed plans and hard choices and our lives going in directions we never anticipated, paths we never wanted. There were countless days of overwhelming worry and fear, filled to the brim with so many unknowns and uncertainty.
And I carried every bit of it in my body.
But I didn’t pay attention. I pushed aside my own needs in the name of taking care of my family. I thought I was doing the best thing, the right thing. I thought I was okay. But the stress I avoided addressing began to build up inside me, and the weight of it all was crushing me.
I prayed, desperate for answers and healing, but it felt like all my prayers were worthless, like my words were just hitting the ceiling and going nowhere. My circumstances were not getting any easier, the storm was not slowing down, the pain was not easing, and the darkness only kept getting darker. Every day felt harder than the last. I began to doubt if God even heard my prayers at all.
Anxiety made it hard to breathe. Depression made it hard to hope. The weight of our reality was crushing me, and my whole self was suffering—body, mind, and soul.
It was there at my lowest, when I had no more words left to pray and I had no strength left to pretend that I was ok, my prayers began to transform. I needed prayers that weren’t just words tossed out into the abyss—I needed prayer that I felt in my actual bones. I needed more than just some abstract God who was out there somewhere—I needed to feel God right there with me, as close as my breath. I was desperate for the actual presence of God.
It started with breath prayer. Just inhaling and exhaling while repeating a simple phrase from Scripture, over and over and over again. My breath was my prayer. The deep breaths physically calmed my body while the simple prayer tethered me to God’s love.
Over time, that simple breath prayer led me to prayers of meditation. Prayer was silence and stillness as I sat with a small bit of Scripture and slowly learned how listen with the ears of my heart. Or as Brother Lawrence put it, prayer became “practicing the presence of God.” These prayers of presence became an anchor for my soul, rooting me deeply in God’s Word.
And then, I began to move. As stress continued to build in my body, I knew I needed to do more than just slow down and be still—I also needed to get up and move. And so I began to gently move my body as I moved my mind toward God. Not only did movement help me feel physically better in my body by easing the symptoms of stress and depression I was experiencing, but every movement became yet another invitation to pray, to be aware of God’s presence with me and to connect to His abiding love as I moved through my days. Movement fueled me with hope, helping me to keep going even on the hardest days.
Prayer in Motion came out of this part of my journey, discovering the hope and joy that can be found when we move and pray, when we connect our bodily experiences to our spiritual life by inviting God into every moment and movement of our days.
I believe in the power of prayer. But I also believe that prayer can take many forms, and God can use absolutely anything to help us connect to Him and experience His goodness and love—including the movement of our bodies.
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Every prayer is a movement toward Christ. Every movement, however small, is a hymn of hope.
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Every prayer is a movement toward Christ. Every movement, however small, is a hymn of hope.
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Who is Prayer in Motion for?
Prayer in Motion is for you if you:
- are feeling disconnected, stressed, or overwhelmed
- want to experience greater peace, hope, and joy in your everyday life
- don’t know how to pray, or want to connect with God in a new way
- want to move your body from a place of joy instead of judgment
- experience pain, discomfort, or limitations in your body
- feel like your body is your enemy
- are curious about embodied prayer
- want to cultivate practical rhythms of prayer in your everyday life
No matter how much experience you have with prayer, no matter what your level of mobility or movement is, no matter what you think about your body or what your relationship is with God right now, my hope is that Prayer in Motion will meet you right where you are and gently lead you toward a more deeply embodied wholeness—helping you reclaim joy, deepen your faith, and find peace and hope one intentional movement at a time.
What does moving our bodies do for our spirits? (or for our faith/relationship with God?)
We often tend to separate our spiritual life from our physical life, viewing the soul as separate from the body, and our spiritual growth and health as disconnected from our mental or physical health. But the truth is, we are body and soul.
From the very beginning, you were always meant to experience life as a whole, embodied person—with a body, mind, and soul. Our bodies are part of God’s wonderful design, and an integral part of how He intended for us to experience our life and the world He created. From our sensory systems that allow us to feel and taste and smell and see and hear, to our nervous systems that regulate every part of our body and constantly process input from the world around us, our bodies are complex and deeply interconnected. What happens in our body affects our mind and soul, just as our mind and soul can have a significant effect on our body.
Movement in particular is an embodied experience, whether we realize it or not—it has both a physiological and a spiritual impact on us.
Movement can be helpful in calming the body during times of stress. When we move, our body sends sensory messages to the brain that communicate safety, which in turn slows the release of stress hormones and allows the brain to move into a state of calm. Not only that, but any time you contract your muscles (which is any time you move), your muscles release proteins called myokines which travel through your bloodstream and affect every system in your body. These proteins can have a significant impact on how you feel and the way you process the stress, from reducing inflammation and regulating blood sugar to strengthening muscles and reducing symptoms of anxiety and depression. One of the first scientific papers about myokines called them “hope molecules,” because of the power they have to improve mood and promote emotional well-being.
In other words, hope flows when you move.
This is why movement can be a meaningful time to connect to God in prayer. While physical movement calms your body and gets those hope molecules moving, prayer calms your soul by deepening your connection to God and strengthening your awareness of His presence with you. In this way, movement and prayer together become powerful key to increased hope and peace, both in your body and your soul.
What is one tool you recommend to get moving while praying?
You don’t really need any special products or trendy equipment to get moving while you pray. In fact, the best place to start is where you’re already moving. What are you already doing every day that requires you to move your body in some way? It could be as simple as chores around the house, like washing dishes or folding laundry. It might be walking down the driveway to get the mail out of the mailbox, or even stretching when you first get out of bed in the morning. Pay attention to just one simple movement that is already part of your day, and make that movement into an invitation to pray.
Focus your attention on how you feel in your body as you move. If you’re feeling any pain or tension, tell God about it and ask Him for the grace to treat yourself with compassion in those areas that need extra care. If your emotions are heavy, or you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, share those burdens with God as you focus on His presence with you in that moment. You can also take a minute to thank God for the gift of your body, that you are able to move in this way every day.
You don’t have to have fancy words or special tools. God is already with you. That is enough.
Continue reading on our blog.
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Prayer isn’t complicated! No Google required. Your life is your prayer. You can choose to pray whenever and wherever. Today, try praying whenever you’re moving and see what that does to your prayer walk with Jesus! ~ Devotionals Daily
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Move Your Body. Quiet Your Mind.
Reconnect with God.
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Move Your Body. Quiet Your Mind. Reconnect with God.
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Prayer in Motion: An Invitation to Be Fully Present, Connect with God, and Pray with Your Whole Self
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Buy More, Save More! 📚
$5 off $35+ with code GET5
$10 off $50+ with code GET10
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What if prayer felt less like a routine and more like a rhythm—something that flows through all the moments of your day and movements of your body?
In Prayer in Motion, author and artist Jennifer Tucker invites you to experience prayer in a fresh, embodied way—where movement becomes worship, and your physical self is embraced as part of your spiritual journey.
With warmth and gentle wisdom, Jennifer offers a path to deeper peace, joy, and connection through simple practices that unite body and soul. You’ll be encouraged to slow down, create sacred space, and engage in meaningful somatic movement—from stretching and breathing to dancing, drawing, and resting.
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Prayer in Motion offers:
- Thoughtful reflections on the biblical connection between body and spirit
- Helpful guides for creating daily prayer rhythms that keep you anchored to God as you move through your day
- Practical tools for mindful movement and embodied prayer
- Creative somatic exercises that promote rest, release, and restoration
- Encouragement to embrace your body as a beautiful, God-created gift
Whether you're feeling disconnected, stressed, or just longing to experience God in a new way, Prayer in Motion gently leads you toward wholeness—helping you reclaim joy, deepen faith, and find peace one intentional movement at a time.
Let this be your invitation to move with purpose, pray with presence, and worship God with your whole being.
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Explore more from Jennifer Tucker
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Buy More, Save More! 📚
$5 off $35+ with code GET5
$10 off $50+ with code GET10
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The Lie You Don't Know You Believe
Online Bible Study
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The Lie You Don't Know You Believe Online Bible Study
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Are you burdened by a quiet voice that says you're helpless, unlovable, or worthless?
In The Lie You Don't Know You Believe Bible study, Jennie Allen defines the three core lies that distort our identities and influence our decisions. Journey with her into Matthew chapter 4, where Jesus faced the enemy’s temptations and revealed a decisive truth: God’s Word holds the power to silence every lie that comes against us.
Join The Lie You Don't Know You Believe Online Bible Study and get access to six teaching videos and other helpful tools—all FREE when you sign up!
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this devotion with someone who needs it today
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*Sale price ends on 05/31/26 at 11:59 PM.
*Offers valid until May 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CST or while supplies last. Offer valid online and by phone only. Shipping, gift cards, or customization of products does not qualify towards minimum purchase requirements. Receive $5 off $35+ with code GET5 at checkout or $10 off $50+ with code GET10 at checkout. Offer only available to customers in the United States age 18 and older. To redeem offer, enter promo code during online checkout or provide the code to a representative during phone orders. Cannot be redeemed for cash or combined with any other discount offer. FaithGateway reserves the right to de-activate the promo code in the event of fraud or technical issues and limit quantities of individual items eligible for purchase with this discount. Void where prohibited, taxed or restricted by law. Not valid for resale.
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